Senior forward Anriel Howard is transferring from Texas A&M to Mississippi State and will play for the Bulldogs this season, the school announced Friday. Howard will be immediately eligible for 2018-19 as she'll already have graduated from Texas A&M.
Howard had considered other schools, including UConn and South Carolina, since the news broke in the spring that she was looking to transfer.
Last season, Howard averaged a double-double for the second-straight season, scoring 12.1 points per game on 42.9 percent shooting to go with 12.2 rebounds per game. She became the Aggies' all-time leading rebounder as a junior, with 1,002, and also the program's leader in career double-doubles with 32.
The 5-foot-11 Howard will join 6-7 Teaira McCowan on the Mississippi State roster. They were the top two rebounders in the SEC last season, with McCowan averaging 13.9 per game to Howard's 12.2.
McCowan is the lone returning starter for the Bulldogs, who lost in the NCAA final the past two seasons. Mississippi State finished 37-2 last season and won the SEC regular-season title. Howard started every game last season for the Aggies, who went 26-10 and lost to eventual champion Notre Dame in the Sweet 16.
"We are ecstatic to be adding Anriel and her family to our program and our university community here at Mississippi State," Bulldogs coach Vic Schaefer said. "Her experience in our conference will be not only valuable to our team, but it will enable us to use her in a leadership role on and off the floor."